lots of good information megan. megan mcgrath of mkm partners. >> susie: from strength in housing to rising commodity prices, the u.s. economy is grappling with a host of crosscurrents. suzanne pratt reports. >> reporter: no matter what newspaper you read, when it comes to the economy these days, the headlines can be bleak. and, it's not just european nations that are in trouble, the u.s. economy has also de- celerated in recent months. federal reserve chairman ben bernanke is worried. and, so too are some economists. >> in my mind, just given the fact that we're more likely that not in a low trend growth rate world and periods of unevenness such as now, the odds of recession at any point in time could be as high 1 in 3. so, i think thosare reasonable estimates. >> reporter: but, there are also reasonable positives: little nuggets that support the belief the economy will gain momentum in the second half of this year. those tidbits are pretty large, including a stabilization in housing, and surging car sales. don't f